Method of differentially truing wire wheels



METHOD OF DIFFERENTIALLY TRUING WIRE WHEELS Filed Jan. 3, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

CAROLUSLEKSEQGIAN- BY find/ A TTORNE Y.

1933- c. L. EKSERGIAN 1,921,223

METHOD OF DIFFERENTIALLY TRUING WIRE WHEELS Filed Jan. 3. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. CAROLUS LEK-SERGlAN A TTORNE Y.

Patented Aug. 8, 1933 l UNITED STATES.

METHOD OFQDIFFERENTIIALLY TRUING W nn WHEELS Carolus L. Ekser gian, Detroit, Mich, a'ssi'gnor to Budd Wheel Company, Philadelphia, Pa.,

a Corporation of Pennsylvania Application January 3, 1931. Serial No. 506,349

4 Claims. (01. 29-87) Machines have previously been'devised for tensioning-wire wheels by means of tools operating upon the individual spokes and controlled by fluid pressure motors.

1 disclosed in the patent applications of. Warren H. Farr, C. L. Eksergian and Obed E. Smith,

Serial No. 479,842, filed September 5, 1930 and of C. LLEksergian and Obed E; Smith, Serial No. 479,818, filed September 5, 1930. In the first.

of these applications a plurality fo fluid pressure motors is employed for simultaneously actuating a plurality of tools which is less than the total number of spokes, and the wheel is indexed between successive operations upon successive pluralities of spokes. In the second application the number of tools is the same as the number of,

spokes and every one of the spokes is tensioned simultaneously by the control of a single valve for permitting ingress of fluid pressure to all of the motors simultaneously.

My invention involves an improvement over machines of the type disclosed in these two applications. It is often desirable to tension two or more axially spaced sets of spokes such as those involved in a conventional wire wheel to difierent degrees, the spokes of a given series being equally tensioned and the spokes of a second series being likewise equally tensioned but to a different degree from the spokes of the first series. This isrnecessitated by reason of the different conditions of angularity and difierent numbers of spokes in the respective series. When these factors vary between the several sets of spokes it is necessary to produce a greater ten- .sion in one set of spokes than in the other in order to balance the wheel. My invention involves a simple and adequate method of effecting this differential tension. This method consists in the control of the pressure simultaneously applied to the two sets of spokes in such a way that a greater pressure is applied to-the tools operating upon one of the sets than to the tools operating upon the other. I have disclosed the use of the invention of my improved method in the machine of application Serial No. 479,842,

although it will be obvious that the principle thereof could be applied to machines such as that involved in application Serial No. 479,818 or in connection with still other machines.

Further advantages of my invention and the method of which I have attained the objects thereof will be apparent from a reading of the sub-joined specification in the light of the attached drawings, in which Figure l is a iront view of my machine.

Two such machines are- Figure-2 is a detail view in side elevation of one of the vfluid pressure-motors used thereon.

Figure 3 Ba plan view of the motor of Figure 2 with parts being. shown in section to illustrate the ports for controlling thefiuid pressure, Q thereto, and

Figure 4 is a plan View of my machine: with the upper portions .thereofncut awayto illus-, trate the connections between, the air lines and the respective-fluid pressure motors.

Referring to the drawings by reference characters, the numeral 10 designates the -base oi the 'machine having a support -1l moun ted thereon adapted to receivea conventional wire. wheel. A clamp.12 is adapted to secure the"); wheel firmly inplace upon this supportduring the tensioning operation. A plurality of fluid, pressure motors 13 and 14 are aligned with the respective series of spokes and are adapted to operate upon the conventional nipples secured to the ends of said spokes to tension the same by a rotation of these-nipples. While the particular construction of these motors forms no part of my invention, it may the stated briefly drill motor which is bodily reciprocable by means of a reciprocating motor secured to the end thereof. Each of these motors is provided upon its end adjacent to the spoke nipples with a conventional tool for operating upon the nipples, usually a screw driver tool.

In the particular form of my invention illustrated, the number of motors used is smaller than the total number of spokes and the wheel is accordingly indexed by a mechanism 15 effecting an intermittent rotation of the table supporting the same. The tools thus operate upon the successive spoke locations until every spoke in the wheel has been tensioned. Such indexing mechanism will, of course, be unnecessary in connection with a machine such as that involved in application Serial No. 475,818 above mentioned, and it is merely shown in the present application for the purpose of illustration.

As so far described, my machine is identical with that of the machine of application Serial No. 479,842. My invention consists in the redesigning of that machine to effect a differential pressure and a separately controlled pressure in each of the respective spoke sets. It is frequently desirable to effect a greater tension in one set of spokes than in another, due to differences of angularity and numbers of spokes. etc. I have re-designed the machine of the above application in order to take care of such a situation by separately controlling the fluicl pressure to the separate sets of spoke locations. The numeral 16 indicates the main air line which is controlled through a suitable valve for allowing the ingress of fluid under pressure to the screw driver operating motors. This main line is divided irito two branch conduits 17 and 18 and each of these branch conduits is controlled by a separate reducing valve 19. separate gauges 20 are provided for the two lines in order to indicate the pressure inthe respective systems.

The line 17 is connected to the motors operating upon one of the axially spaced seriesof spokes through connections 21, while the line 18 is connected to the tools operating upon the other of said series through the connections 22. The pressure exerted in tensioning the spokes of the respective series is thus separately con trolled through the separate reducing valves 19. As the motors stall as soon as the spokes attain a pi'=-deterrniiied tension corresponding to the ressure the line operating the motors effectingthattension, the tension in the spokes may be" accurately pro-determined by a proper control of the reducing valves.

Modifications or my invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art and I do not therefore wish to be liriiite'd except by the scope of the sub-joined claims as interpreted in the light of the generic spirit or my invention.

--Wlis't'I'claiiii is? 1;: The method oi tensioniiig a wire wheel consistii'ig of it Hub and rim interconnected by a plurality of axially spaced series of spokes which comprises clamping the hub and rim in the relative positions they will occupy in the completed wheel, then simultaneously tensioning individual spokes of each given series equally but of the several series to different degrees.

2. The method of tensioning a wire wheel consisting of a hub and rim interconnected by a plurality of axially spaced series of. spokes which comprises clamping the hub and rim in the relative positions they will occupy in the completed wheel, then simultaneously tensioning individual spokes of the several series by means of fluid pressure, the spokes of each given series being tensioned equally but the spokes of the several seriesbeing tensioned to diiferent degrees.

3. A- machine for tensioning a wire wheel consisting of a hub and rim interconnected bya plurality of axially spaced series of spokes which comprises means for clamping the wheel, a fluid pressuremotor adapted to operate a tool for tightening the spokes of one of said series, a second fluid pressure motor adapted to operate a tool for tightening the spokes of another of I said series, and separate means for individually controlling the pressure 01' the fluid supplied to the respective motors.

4. A machine for tensioning a wire wheel consisting of a hub and rim interconnected by a plurality of axially spaced series of spokes whicharate means for individually controlling the pressure or the fluid supplied to the respective pluralities of fluid pressure motors.

' CAROLUS L. 

